Daniel
Pasaribu
“FEAR THE LORD AND THE LOVE OF GOD” – Monday Sermon as of November 7, 2011
Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 : “Fear the Lord and keep His Commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing , whether good or evil”.
1 Peter 1 : 17 : “And if you call on the Father, who without partially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear”.
My Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When we read The word translated “fear” in Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 1 Peter 1: 17, this is the Greek word phobos, from which we get the English word “phobia,” an irrational fear where the “Fear of the Lord” is a major theme. Here are a few verses from Proverbs that help us flesh out the meaning:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7).
“To fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (8:13).
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10).
“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge” (14:26).
We can summarize these verses in two statements:
A) The fear of the Lord is the key to long life, wisdom, prosperity, knowledge, happiness.
B) The fear of the Lord is the single most important quality a father can hand down to his children.
Two other Old Testament verses help us understand what the fear of the Lord is:
1) It is an attitude of the heart. “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
2) It is a choice. “Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord” (Proverbs 1:29).
Love Plus Respect
The fear of the Lord combines the two qualities of love plus respect. It is “loving respect” and “respectful love.” To fear someone in this sense is to love them and respect them at the same time. We can see this more clearly if we state it in the negative. Where there is no respect, there is no love. When I preached this sermon, I repeated that statement several times, and then asked the congregation to say it with me.
Where there is no respect, there is no love.
That applies to all human relationships. Where there is no respect inside a marriage, there is no love either. Where there is no respect in a family, there is no love either. Young ladies, remember this when a young man asks you out. No matter what he says, if he does not respect you, he does not love you. Love and respect go hand in hand.
So how does this apply to our relationship with God? Here is my definition of the fear of the Lord. It is the choice I make to obey God because I love him and want to please him. The fear of the Lord is an ongoing attitude of my heart that causes me to choose over and over again to obey God even when it might be easier to do something else. I make that choice because I love God and want to please him. The fear of the Lord is not cringing fear, which is respect without love. And it is not irreverent flippancy, which is love without respect. Respect plus love equals the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is not the opposite of love. It’s what real love is all about. A healthy sense of fear can be a positive motivation for doing right. This sort of loving respect is the basis of our relationship with God. When I choose to fear the Lord, I am choosing out of respect and love to do the things that please him. All that I do in my life comes back to this principle. The fear of the Lord is thus the most positive attitude you can have toward God.
My Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peter offers three reasons why we ought to fear God. These reasons are really motives for godly living. We ought to take God seriously because these three things are true.
I. Life is short. It is reminiscent of the Old Testament terminology for the people of God during their “sojourn” in Egypt. No one lives forever. We are born, we live 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years. If we are strong and healthy and blessed by God, we may live to be 80 or even 90. Some people live to be 100. But it doesn’t matter how long you live because eventually everyone dies. We’re all terminal. The only difference is, some of us know it, and the rest of us act like we’re going to be here forever. We should all live with the day of our death placarded before us. If you live each day as if it might be your last, one day you will be right. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). And James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Fear that you will be so preoccupied that when God calls, you won’t hear His Voice. Sometimes the difference between greatness and a wasted life is simply a willing heart. Life is short. Fear God. Fear being so busy with triviality that you are not willing to answer God’s call.
II. He is our judge. In Ecclesiastes 12:13, God will bring every work into judgment but we call God our Father is a comfort. To say that he is our judge isn’t quite so comforting. Note the present tense. God is judging you and me at this very moment. As Christians, our works will be judged, not to determine our eternal destiny, but to determine our rewards in Heaven.
What should we fear? We should fear living as though we don’t believe in God at all. When we give in to anger, rage, malice, greed or lust, we are living as if we don’t believe in God. When we turn to pornography to satisfy our lust, when we let hurtfulwords fly out of our mouth, when we defraud each other, when we seek revenge, when we lie about one another, when we forget the hurting people around us while hoarding up treasure for ourselves, when we have to be Number One and win every argument, every game, every competition, when we cannot lose gracefully and with dignity, we are living as if we don’t believe in God.
III. The blood of Jesus is so precious. When Peter says, “You were redeemed” in 1 Peter 1: 18, he uses a word that means to set free by the payment of a price. The term comes from the slave markets of the first century. When Jesus died on the cross, his blood paid the price to set us free from the slave market of sin. Of all the words that believers give to Jesus Christ, none is more precious than the name Redeemer. We use other names more often, such as Lord and Savior. But no word touches the heart like the name Redeemer. It reminds us of what it cost him to save us from our sin. Redeemer is the name of Christ on the cross. We remember not only that he gave us salvation, but also that he paid a mighty price for it.
Planned Before Creation
How far is God willing to go in order to save us? 1 Peter 1: 20-21 is the answer that question for us: “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” First, God planned our salvation before he created the world. Some people think that when Adam and Eve sinned, God said, “Oops! I didn’t see that coming,” as if the coming of Christ was an afterthought in God’s plan. The opposite is true. Before the universe was created, God knew that he was going to create Adam and Eve. He knew they were going to sin and bring ruin and destruction to the world. And in the councils of eternity, the Father said the Son, “You must go to the earth to save them from their sins.” Redemption was on God’s heart long before sin entered the world. As Spurgeon said, while the universe lay in the mind of God like a forest of oaks in the cup of an acorn, God purposed to send his Son. Second, he revealed his plan of salvation when Jesus came to the world. Peter uses the term “these last days.” For thousands of years, people waited for him to come. Generations lived and died. Fathers told their sons, “He’s coming. The Messiah is coming.”
Third, he applied his plan of salvation to us. In 1 Peter 1: 21 says “you believe in God” and “your faith and hope are in God.” What a privilege we have. Through Jesus Christ we have a relationship with God. God planned our salvation from first to last. He planned it, revealed it, and applied it to us so that our faith and hope are in God alone. He did it this way so that he alone gets the glory. Please understand this truth.
My Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
So now we come to the end of the message. I started out talking about living in the fear of God and His Son. And the more firmly we believe them, the more likely we are to take God seriously. If you want the whole message in one sentence, here the conclusion of the message: "Holy living is motivated by a godly fear and to love God that does not take lightly what was purchased at so great a cost".
Here is the whole passage, plainly stated:
We are here so briefly Fear God!
We are judged so completely Fear God!
We are loved so deeply Fear God!
I close this message with the words delivered by His Servant ,C.T. Studd, a veteran missionary who stated: “If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him.”
May God’s Grace, Peace and Joy will be with you at all times in Christ, Amen.
To God Be All The Honor and Glory,
Daniel Pasaribu
End of Sermon
“FEAR THE LORD AND THE LOVE OF GOD” – Monday Sermon as of November 7, 2011
Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 : “Fear the Lord and keep His Commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing , whether good or evil”.
1 Peter 1 : 17 : “And if you call on the Father, who without partially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear”.
My Dear Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When we read The word translated “fear” in Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 1 Peter 1: 17, this is the Greek word phobos, from which we get the English word “phobia,” an irrational fear where the “Fear of the Lord” is a major theme. Here are a few verses from Proverbs that help us flesh out the meaning:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7).
“To fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (8:13).
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10).
“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge” (14:26).
We can summarize these verses in two statements:
A) The fear of the Lord is the key to long life, wisdom, prosperity, knowledge, happiness.
B) The fear of the Lord is the single most important quality a father can hand down to his children.
Two other Old Testament verses help us understand what the fear of the Lord is:
1) It is an attitude of the heart. “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
2) It is a choice. “Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord” (Proverbs 1:29).
Love Plus Respect
The fear of the Lord combines the two qualities of love plus respect. It is “loving respect” and “respectful love.” To fear someone in this sense is to love them and respect them at the same time. We can see this more clearly if we state it in the negative. Where there is no respect, there is no love. When I preached this sermon, I repeated that statement several times, and then asked the congregation to say it with me.
Where there is no respect, there is no love.
That applies to all human relationships. Where there is no respect inside a marriage, there is no love either. Where there is no respect in a family, there is no love either. Young ladies, remember this when a young man asks you out. No matter what he says, if he does not respect you, he does not love you. Love and respect go hand in hand.
So how does this apply to our relationship with God? Here is my definition of the fear of the Lord. It is the choice I make to obey God because I love him and want to please him. The fear of the Lord is an ongoing attitude of my heart that causes me to choose over and over again to obey God even when it might be easier to do something else. I make that choice because I love God and want to please him. The fear of the Lord is not cringing fear, which is respect without love. And it is not irreverent flippancy, which is love without respect. Respect plus love equals the fear of the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is not the opposite of love. It’s what real love is all about. A healthy sense of fear can be a positive motivation for doing right. This sort of loving respect is the basis of our relationship with God. When I choose to fear the Lord, I am choosing out of respect and love to do the things that please him. All that I do in my life comes back to this principle. The fear of the Lord is thus the most positive attitude you can have toward God.
My Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peter offers three reasons why we ought to fear God. These reasons are really motives for godly living. We ought to take God seriously because these three things are true.
I. Life is short. It is reminiscent of the Old Testament terminology for the people of God during their “sojourn” in Egypt. No one lives forever. We are born, we live 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years. If we are strong and healthy and blessed by God, we may live to be 80 or even 90. Some people live to be 100. But it doesn’t matter how long you live because eventually everyone dies. We’re all terminal. The only difference is, some of us know it, and the rest of us act like we’re going to be here forever. We should all live with the day of our death placarded before us. If you live each day as if it might be your last, one day you will be right. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). And James 4:14 says, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Fear that you will be so preoccupied that when God calls, you won’t hear His Voice. Sometimes the difference between greatness and a wasted life is simply a willing heart. Life is short. Fear God. Fear being so busy with triviality that you are not willing to answer God’s call.
II. He is our judge. In Ecclesiastes 12:13, God will bring every work into judgment but we call God our Father is a comfort. To say that he is our judge isn’t quite so comforting. Note the present tense. God is judging you and me at this very moment. As Christians, our works will be judged, not to determine our eternal destiny, but to determine our rewards in Heaven.
What should we fear? We should fear living as though we don’t believe in God at all. When we give in to anger, rage, malice, greed or lust, we are living as if we don’t believe in God. When we turn to pornography to satisfy our lust, when we let hurtfulwords fly out of our mouth, when we defraud each other, when we seek revenge, when we lie about one another, when we forget the hurting people around us while hoarding up treasure for ourselves, when we have to be Number One and win every argument, every game, every competition, when we cannot lose gracefully and with dignity, we are living as if we don’t believe in God.
III. The blood of Jesus is so precious. When Peter says, “You were redeemed” in 1 Peter 1: 18, he uses a word that means to set free by the payment of a price. The term comes from the slave markets of the first century. When Jesus died on the cross, his blood paid the price to set us free from the slave market of sin. Of all the words that believers give to Jesus Christ, none is more precious than the name Redeemer. We use other names more often, such as Lord and Savior. But no word touches the heart like the name Redeemer. It reminds us of what it cost him to save us from our sin. Redeemer is the name of Christ on the cross. We remember not only that he gave us salvation, but also that he paid a mighty price for it.
Planned Before Creation
How far is God willing to go in order to save us? 1 Peter 1: 20-21 is the answer that question for us: “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” First, God planned our salvation before he created the world. Some people think that when Adam and Eve sinned, God said, “Oops! I didn’t see that coming,” as if the coming of Christ was an afterthought in God’s plan. The opposite is true. Before the universe was created, God knew that he was going to create Adam and Eve. He knew they were going to sin and bring ruin and destruction to the world. And in the councils of eternity, the Father said the Son, “You must go to the earth to save them from their sins.” Redemption was on God’s heart long before sin entered the world. As Spurgeon said, while the universe lay in the mind of God like a forest of oaks in the cup of an acorn, God purposed to send his Son. Second, he revealed his plan of salvation when Jesus came to the world. Peter uses the term “these last days.” For thousands of years, people waited for him to come. Generations lived and died. Fathers told their sons, “He’s coming. The Messiah is coming.”
Third, he applied his plan of salvation to us. In 1 Peter 1: 21 says “you believe in God” and “your faith and hope are in God.” What a privilege we have. Through Jesus Christ we have a relationship with God. God planned our salvation from first to last. He planned it, revealed it, and applied it to us so that our faith and hope are in God alone. He did it this way so that he alone gets the glory. Please understand this truth.
My Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
So now we come to the end of the message. I started out talking about living in the fear of God and His Son. And the more firmly we believe them, the more likely we are to take God seriously. If you want the whole message in one sentence, here the conclusion of the message: "Holy living is motivated by a godly fear and to love God that does not take lightly what was purchased at so great a cost".
Here is the whole passage, plainly stated:
We are here so briefly Fear God!
We are judged so completely Fear God!
We are loved so deeply Fear God!
I close this message with the words delivered by His Servant ,C.T. Studd, a veteran missionary who stated: “If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him.”
May God’s Grace, Peace and Joy will be with you at all times in Christ, Amen.
To God Be All The Honor and Glory,
Daniel Pasaribu
End of Sermon
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